“Hill Gallery is pleased to present John Duff: Wedges+, a curated exhibition of early fiberglass wedges & urethane sculptures from the 1980’s - 2018. In this exhibition of early wedge sculptures John Duff crafts fascinating objects whose subtly expressive structures, calmly sensuous surfaces, and quietly evocative colors repay sensitive attention & generously reward the imagination. These sculptures are surprisingly light, buoyant, and perfectly at home hovering against the wall. Duff draws attention to the spaces within his sculptures by either slicing open their fiberglass shells to reveal interiors or by allowing the translucency of the fiberglass to admit light into the inner spaces.
In Duff’s urethane sculptures, the memory of the making is revealed in subtle fragments and declared sections of accidental color. The casting of resin into closely packed sphere structures has produced complex mysterious forms that rest, stand and extend from the walls and floor, engaging the viewer in a journey of symmetry and balance. The application of flat primal colors to straight sections of cast resin serve to create simultaneously a new beginning and a definite end.”
Clean, bold shapes command their space while curiously managing an airy feel. Duff invites the viewer to consider concaves along with exteriors. Color is applied underside softening through semi-transparent medium allowing form to retain its primary status.
Duff’s LA surfer background communicates through these silhouettes where he manipulates fiberglass to his will in waves and sculpture. Residue from casting is allowed to linger on several pieces further augmenting tactile terrain in fundamentally graphical compositions.
Silver Serrated Wedge floats from its point of security where vacated pods range in value dependent on acceptance or rejection of light. Close inspection reveals naturally occurring cracks, bubbles and scoring with excess material oozing beyond their boundaries lending subtle character to the façade.
Newer works employ urethane resin in casting the remains of assemblages of balls. This series offers a physical interpretation of mathematician Kepler’s theorem that no arrangement of equally sized spheres packed into a 3-dimensional Euclidean space has a greater density than that of cubic close packing.
Duff’s sculptures are confident while seemingly weightless. What appears static suddenly animates with changing lighting conditions. The viewer is compelled to consider both what’s present as much as what’s been removed resulting in perfectly balanced, harmonious exhibition.
“Don’t play what’s there. Play what’s not there.” –Miles Davis
On view through June 8th at Hill Gallery 407 W Brown Birmingham
*images are mine unless otherwise noted
direct quote from gallery press release
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